The Games They Played
by Knutforyourthoughts
Summary: It had started off innocent enough, them testing themselves through all of the games they played. But they had to deceive themselves to think they would last through the most brutal of all games; love. Rated T, themes are romance, drama and humour.
1. Exploding Snap

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor anything affiliated with it. A/N: This chapter was edited on the 5/11/2015.**

* * *

"They played at hearts as other children might play at ball; only, as it was really their two hearts that they flung to and fro, they had to be very, very handy to catch them, each time, without hurting them." – Gaston Leroux, _The Phantom of the Opera_

* * *

_Age Eleven_

It had started off innocent enough. After the excitement of finally arriving at Hogwarts had progressively worn off over the week, James sat with some of his cousins in the Gryffindor common room, playing a round of Exploding Snap. Unfortunately for the other Gryffindors in the common room, all the Weasley's were rather competitive; which often resulted in quarrels involving screaming, hexing and punching.

"I won that round fair and square!" Fred would protest as the others accused him of cheating.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Oh, he so did!" Dominique would declared firmly, putting her hands on her hips. "What do you think Vic?"

Victoire would sigh, as she did each time the Weasley's quarrelled so childishly (which was quite frequently, she found) and take a good ten minutes to decide. By then, the next round would have started and the others would have forgotten about the matter.

"Uh, Vic, we don't care anymore," they'd say, turning back to the game.

"That's the point," she'd say cheekily, laughing at their reactions. She'd found over the course of the years that the Weasley's were quite a gullible bunch and fell for the same trick, not only once, but practically every day.

But on that particular day, those sequence of events didn't happen as usual. This time the argument that James was cheating, by changing the rules whenever he began to lose.

"Hey, it's more fun when you play with the Bavarian Rules!" He said defensively as the others began to moan.

"Yeah sure, Jamie," Dominique said, rolling her eyes.

"You little cheat, you," Victoire said, mirroring her sister's eye roll, but not without a hint of affection.

"Gee, Jamie Poo, I'd let you off with it, but you're just getting too bad to ignore," Fred declared dramatically, waving his arms about. "You're breaking my heart."

"But I didn't do anything!" James shouted exasperatedly. "You guys are just jealous that you're all losing to a firstie!"

"Hey, I'm a firstie too!" Fred shouted back, clutching his heart. "Or have you forgotten me so soon after getting here?"

"Fred, cut the dramatics," Dominique snapped and crossed her arms, a wicked glint appearing in her eyes.

"Oh no," Victoire said worriedly.

"Oh no what?" James and Fred said in unison.

"She's got that look in her eyes?"

"What look in her eyes?"

"The same ones you get when you think of a new prank."

Their eyes widened as they comprehended the seriousness of what Victoire was saying.

"Godric no!" James cried. "Listen Dom, I love you so much-"

"-and I'd never do anything to hurt you!" Fred pleaded.

"So don't do whatever you're going to do!"

Dominique rolled her eyes, laughing at her two younger cousins, who sat on their knees, grovelling.

"Relax," she said. "It's not _that _bad."

"So what is _it _exactly?" Victoire interrupted, grabbing her two-way mirror which sat carelessly on one of the couches. "Hold on- Teddy's going to want to hear this."

There was a moment of rare silence in the common room as Victoire contacted him, Dominique watching James carefully so he wouldn't be able to escape to his dormitory.

"I've got him!" Victoire exclaimed, gushing as her boyfriend's face appeared on the mirror.

"Teddy!" James and Fred cried, Dominique waving in greeting.

"What's this?" Teddy said, looking at the four Weasleys in confusion.

"We caught James cheating in Exploding Snap," Dominique said loudly, drowning out James's indignant protests.

"Ohhhh," Teddy said, suddenly understanding. He had experienced his fair share of Exploding Snap arguments, wincing as he remembered a particularly unpleasant quarrel in which Dominique ended up pulling a tuft of his hair out, the others applauding her. Since then, he had learnt to never, ever, mess with the other Weasley kids.

"So what are you going to do?" He asked and Dominique smirked.

"Save me from her!" James begged. "She's mental!"

"Well, my plan was to get a friend to decide," Dominique begun slowly.

"Wait- that's not bad," James said, startled.

"It's actually not," Victoire said, looking surprised. Of all the Weasley's, Dominique was not known for being merciful.

"Wait- just listen. You play three rounds with them. But here's the catch: if they win, you have to run around the entire school in only a pair of Lucy's knickers."

"Hey!" Lucy protested from the other side of the common room, glaring as her girlfriend, Hunter, burst out laughing. "I did not volunteer my knickers for the loser treatment."

Dominique shrugged. "You have now."

"Okay," James said, breathing deeply. "Who cares, I'll win anyway."

"Still not that bad," Victoire repeated, Teddy nodding in agreement.

"So who's this friend of yours?" Fred asked and Dominique grinned wickedly.

"Oi, Moira!"

"Who's Moira?" Four voices asked at once. Dominique simply shook her head, pointing a girl, who snapped the book she was reading shut and walked over to them.

"This is Moira guys," Dominique said sweetly, smiling at the girls. "Say hi to Moira."

"Hi," they said, glancing at each other, confused. The girl looked to be about the same age as James and Fred and like the other first year girls, still had quite a slight figure. She wasn't that tall either, standing at an approximate of 5.2 feet (or so Teddy thought, as he was fairly good with judging physical appearances). What intrigued the Weasleys most was her hair- a curly, black mop that sat atop her head, swaying as she walked, as if it had a mind of its own. She, of all the people at Hogwarts, was certainly not what they had expected to be Dominique's revenge.

"Hi," she said smoothly, indifferent to the whispers of confusion in the common room. "I'm Moira Thomas."

"Oh!" Teddy exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence that the Weasleys had temporarily lapsed into.

"What?" Victoire asked.

"Nothing," he said sheepishly. "You're Dean and Demelza's daughter, right?"

Moira's eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

"My dad, uh, well, godfather, is friends with your dad."

"Cool."

"Anyway," Dominique broke in. "M's really good at games."

"I don't lose," Moira announced proudly.

"Yeah? James said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't lose either."

Fred coughed. "Uh, yeah you do."

"Whatever," James said, punching Fred in the shoulder. "I always win in the end."

"Yeah?" Moira said, a collective gasp of 'ohhhs' from the spectators in the common room following. "Bring it."

It turned out that Moira wasn't lying. She wasn't good at games- she was _great _at them.

"Ha!" She said triumphantly, tapping her wand on the final pair of matching cards. "That's ten full rounds in a row!"

"Man, you are so screwed," Fred said, shaking his head. James scowled in response, before sighing. "Why did you agree to do another seven rounds?"

"Alright, you did okay Thomas." James said begrudgingly.

"Are you kidding me?" Moira laughed. "I kicked your ass!"

"Whatever."

"Luce!" Dominique called.

"Yeah?"

"Find me the worst pair of knickers you own."

"Okay," Lucy smirked. "But they'll probably be Hunter's."

"Hey!" Hunter said indignantly, whacking Lucy's head. "They aren't that bad!"

"Do you have unicorns on them?" Dominique inquired.

"No! Well, maybe…"

"Perfect!" Dominique said gleefully, clapping her hands. "Get ready James, after dinner you _will _be taking a rather chilly trip around the school!"

"Damn it, Thomas," James said, glaring at the beaming girl. "This is all your fault."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Oh and Jamie," Dominique said, standing up to leave for dinner. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

James only crossed his arms in response, before turning back to Moira.

"I swear Thomas, I _will _beat you next time," he promised.

"Oh, so they'll be a next time?"

"You bet there will be."

"Right then," she said, smiling. "'Till the next game."

James smirked in response, watching as she stood up and left with some other first year girls, who whispered into her ears, giggling loudly.

"Mate, you are so screwed," Fred said gleefully, Teddy agreeing and laughing through the two-way mirror. But James only smiled, thinking of the mysterious girl who had beat him. He was determined to beat her and perhaps he would, over the course of the next few years.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Since this is a new story, it would be nice to get some reviews, but don't feel pressured to :)**

**I plan on writing six more chapters (oneshot style) that follow the course of their Hogwarts schooling (so basically one for each year). They may not all be as light hearted, in fact, I think there will be some sadder ones, but we'll see. Also, as an Easter egg, the physical characteristics behind Moira are inspired by the actress Serayah McNeill (aka Tiana on Empire!). Till the next time,**

**Knutforyourthoughts **


	2. Wizarding Chess

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything you recognise from it :)**

* * *

Second year flew by and James found himself more and more desperate to defeat the mysterious girl, Moira, in just a single game. She was difficult to beat, he had since admitted to himself, but it didn't make him any less determined to beat her.

"Mate, don't you think you're a little obsessed with her?" Fred asked cheekily, earning a slap from James. He grunted, before going back to teasing his cousin.

"You can't deny it," Fred sang at James's protests. "Even Dom agrees."

Dominique, who had been sitting cross legged on the floor of the boys' dormitory, nodded in wicked agreement. James glared at both of them, but they both shook their heads in glee.

"Wittle Jamsie is in loooooove," Dominique crooned, dancing about the dorm and screaming it out the window, earning some puzzled looks from the people below the dorms. James, bright red, stormed out of the dormitories. Being the mature second year he was, he marched up to Moira, who was sitting on the common room couch, quietly reading as book, and demanded a rematch.

"You, me, common room tonight," he said, before blinking. "Not like that," he scowled at Dominique's loud wolf whistle from the dormitories. "You know what I mean."

Moira shrugged. "Whatever."

Expecting more banter than that, James stood next to her awkwardly, tapping his foot on the ground until she looked up from her book again.

"What?"

"You wanna play now?"

Moira looked amused, but put her book down and sat on her ground, motioning for James to sit down too. He did so, doing an exaggerated flop to the ground for Fred and Dominique, who were watching from a short distance away, tucked behind a corner of the room.

"Ah, the love in this room right now," Dominique sighed, a trace of a smirk appearing on her face as Fred fake swooned at her words. The two continued to make hand gestures behind James's back, laughing uncontrollably at their younger cousin.

Noticing their theatrics, James glared at them both, Moira quirking an eyebrow at his expression. Noticing the questioning look on her face, James dropped the glare from his face sheepishly, but made sure to glare at Fred and Dominique while she wasn't looking.

The two made small talk over the wizarding chess board, which Moira claimed James ought to beat her over.

"Chess?" James huffed, crossing his arms. "Why does it have to be chess?"

"Your uncle's one of the best players around," Moira reminded him when he whined about it.

"But chess," he protested. "Why does it have to be chess?!"

"Your uncle's one of the best players around," Moira repeated, rolling her eyes a little at James's antics. She had forgotten, over the progression of their first game, just what James Potter was really like.

"Have it your way," he grumbled. "It's not like I'll win anyway."

Moira's eyes narrowed at this and she fell silent for a moment. She and James were hardly friends, but she was perceptive enough to know something was up. But for a while, she didn't ask. It was true that she was strong, stubborn, smart and won at games, but she was hardly good at keeping a decent friend around. It was a miracle she had found a group of friends, albeit the gossipy and sometimes cruel type, who accepted her for the emotionally unavailable person she was.

"Hey," James said suddenly, breaking the silence. He looked back quickly, to where Fred and Dominique no longer stood, before turning back to Moira, who stared at the chess board, lost in thought.

"How do you do it?"

Moira blinked, withdrawing from her thoughtful trance. She shook her head, before looking at James, puzzled.

"How do I do what?"

James hesitated, knowing his question was somewhat childish, but decided to ask it anyway. "How do you always win?" Moira pondered this for a moment, her calculating brown eyes still on the game.

"I guess I don't like losing," she said eventually, knowing what a pathetic statement it was. James knew this too, Moira could tell, by the disbelief ringing on his face.

"I don't like losing either," James said, slightly annoyed by her vague response. "But I don't win like you do."

"And how do I win?"

James smiled, a rare, genuine smile Moira hardly saw. Not that she was close enough to see him smile like that. Hell, she thought, they wouldn't even have met if she wasn't friends with Dominique.

"Knowing that you'll win," he said, which made her smile too. It was awkward, this exchange, but Moira found that she was actually enjoying it.

"I'll tell you a secret then," Moira said and James's eyes sparked with interest, eagerly waiting for her response. "It's all bull."

James groaned. "Okay, that is so not fair!" He exclaimed, making Moira laugh. "Your secret to winning can't be that!"

"If you hate to lose but love to win and you know you won't, you fake it," Moira explained, shrugging. "That's all it is. Try it."

"I'm going to win," James said in a monotone voice, to prove his point. He raised in hands in a defeated way, Moira rolling her eyes while shaking her head.

"Try again."

"I'm going to win," James said, this time, sounding more boastful. He sounded like he did when he was amongst his friends, acting loud and raucous, all while causing a racket in the hallways. Like he did when hanging out with the second year girls that had crushes on him and he knew it. Like the James Potter everyone loved.

"That's about right," Moira said, nodding in approval. "Now you just have to make a few good moves."

"But I'm awful at chess," James complained. "How am I supposed to win with no talent?"

"You've handled the game well so far," Moira said kindly, before pointing to his knight, who was screaming rather nasty insults at him. "But there are definitely things you can improve on."

"Move me, dammit!" The knight yelled and James figured she was right.

"So if you had moved your knight here two blocks earlier, you could have taken this bishop out and then…"

The two spent the whole afternoon playing chess, Moira teaching James about the game. He was quite good, Moira realised, once he had gotten the hang of it. But what was more startling was that, despite the fact they had played games on and off all last year, this was the first time she and James had had a proper conversation with it. Without the pressure and the people around them, Moira noticed that she and James could have some pretty interesting conversations.

"I still don't think Snape was a good person," James argued, while moving his knight, who nodded in approval. "True, he wasn't all bad, but he was still an arse."

"Mmm, but if you think about it, he could have been," Moira said thoughtfully, while moving a bishop. "I mean everything that happened to him made him into a monster, but he still loved your grandmother until the end, right?"

It was then James realised he was having a serious conversation, with a girl, no less. His cheeks flushed a light red and he turned away. "Yeah, true." When he turned back to the board, he realised that Moira had made her move. She had cornered his king, he realised with frustration. There was no way for him to win now.

"Merlin, you don't know how to lose, do you?" James shook his head, exasperated, but secretly, he was glad he'd played with her anyway. Moira was someone he wouldn't mind hanging out with, he thought in surprise. Noting his expression, Moira gave him a small smile.

"Trust me, I do," she said. "But for now, checkmate."

He shook his head again and she laughed, a wicked grin reaching her face.

"I'll win against you eventually, Thomas," he promised, much to her amusement.

"I believe you said that last time, Potter," she smirked in glee before flouncing away to her friends, who immediately began giggling and laughing. James winked at them, much to Moira's annoyance, before going off to find Fred and Dominique, who immediately began making fun of him.

"Awwww, Jamsie made a friend!" Dominique cooed, while Fred laughed.

"Sure," James shrugged, much to the bewilderment of both of them. "Yeah, I did."

Perhaps it wasn't to last, but James and Moira became closer after that, spending much of their second year playing chess and enjoying the playful banter between them. It was the beginning to a whirlwind friendship with a rivalry that was competitive, crazy and even maddening, but always sweet.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I know, I know, it has been an incredibly long time since I last updated! I'm awful :( But my muse has (somewhat) returned, so if you keep reviewing, favouriting, following and if possibly, giving me feedback and constructive criticism. Thanks for being patient, or, if you're a new viewer, thank you for giving this story a go :)**

**Knutforyourthoughts**


	3. Quidditch

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Second year came and went, with Dominique graduating and James and Moira building a steady friendship into their third year, though neither would ever stop competing with the other.

"I scored higher than you in the Herbology test!" James yelled in glee, Moira glaring at him as he danced around, her arms folded tightly.

"Yeah, but you failed the Transfiguration test," Moira said flatly and James frowned for a second, thinking about the howler his mother would send him once she caught wind of his less than perfect score.

"Eh," he smirked, deciding to deal with it later. "You're just mad that I did better than you."

"You'll never be better than me, Potter."

The corners of James's mouth widened as he hastened to accept her challenge. "We'll see about that, Thomas." Moira's cheeks grew pink at that and she shook her head, scowling.

"Sure, sure," she yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she turned away from him. And despite the clear ending of the conversation, James couldn't bring himself to turn away.

It was a lazy day when James decided to challenge Moira again, the trees hardly swaying from the wind, the sun beating down against their flushed faces. James had been hanging out with the other Gryffindor guys, enjoying yet another win as they played Quidditch on makeshift teams.

"Ha!" James cried triumphantly as Fred pouted sulkily on his broom. "I win!" Someone behind him coughed.

"_We_ won, you wanker," Flynn Wood reminded him and Fred laughed as James blinked, confused.

"That's what I said, didn't I?"

Flynn sighed. "You're a lost cause, Potter."

James shrugged. "Maybe so, but the ladies think I'm alright." Flynn and Fred groaned as James winked at the cluster of girls sitting under a tree not too far away, swooning on cue.

"You're mental, mate," Flynn said gravely, before grinning slyly. "But you sure know how to score 'em."

Fred shook his head. "You two are insane," he sighed as the other two boys high fived.

"What did you do to make them so damn loud?" All three boys turned around at the familiar voice and saw Moira, armed with a book and an exasperated smile, her new too-large glasses hanging low on the bridge of her nose. She looked different, James noted in his head stupidly, forgetting to breathe for a second.

"James here was just being a total arse," Fred proclaimed, ignoring James, who whacked Fred on the head as he glared.

"I wasn't," he said defensively, glad to see a small smile appear on Moira's otherwise emotionless face.

"Nothing's changed then," she noted cheekily and everyone but James laughed.

"He's a dumb arse wanker," Flynn said, grinning, not noticing the change in her expression.

"Language," she said sternly and he groaned. Flynn and Moira butted heads too often to count. There was just too much they had in common, but also, way too many differences that resulted in the most disastrous personality clash. And though there were some moments Fred and James could forget that fact, they certainly couldn't when they fought.

"Merlin, being friends you is like being friends with my grandma," Flynn said sarcastically, rolling his eyes for good measure.

"I'm sure talking about her like that will earn you a wonderful inheritance."

"Bloody hell!" Flynn yelled and Fred had to pull him away from her. "You're a complete straight laced idiot, you know that? Merlin, even if I didn't know that, I would've been able to tell by those stupid arse glasses."

Moira blinked, a small, murderous laugh erupting from her quivering lips. Her eyes were shining with hurt and though no one else could see it beyond the wall of anger, James noticed.

"That's enough, you wanker," James breathed once he'd found his voice, pushing Flynn away. "Get back on your broom," he added, suddenly aware of the crowd around himself and the others. "We're playing another round of Quidditch."

"Fine," Flynn muttered, before a mean gleam reached his eyes. "Thank Merlin for Quidditch; Moira can't follow us around now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She hissed, though her hands, hidden behind her back, were shaking.

"Please, you couldn't possibly be able to play," he laughed and Moira had never hated someone more. Not even the girls she sometimes called friends, who laughed alongside Flynn and his friends.

"You son of a bi-"

"Moira," James interrupted, almost scared of the fiery look in her eyes. "Do you wanna play?"

"Yeah," Fred chimed in, anxious to avoid a fight. "Why don't you play on a team with me against those two? We can compete like old times," he added diplomatically, not missing the 'thank you' flashing in James's expression. Moira looked grateful as well, but there was something missing. Maybe it was the confidence in her almost cocky expressions, or the determination in her body as she prepared herself to win. Whatever it was, something was wrong.

"I-"

"Too scared, Thomas?" James teased, forgetting himself, too caught up the idea of a competition.

"No," she said, crossing her arms, smirking nervously. "No, I'm not."

"You're scared, you so are. Moira Thomas is scared of a tiny snitch, of a broom of-"

"Okay, fine!" She shouted and he froze. "I'm afraid of heights, alright?" Turning to Flynn, who had since cooled down, she shook her head.

"Congratulations, you win," she whispered, turning back to James for only a second before stomping away, the crowd surrounding them parting like the Red Sea.

"Damn, is she on her period or something?" Someone yelled after, earning a few snickers. James, feeling powerless, ran after her.

"Merlin's beard, he's whipped!" Someone else hollered, but he didn't bother to turn back to defend himself. Not even the ego bruising insults of the crowd could stop him from finding her.

"Moira!" he panted once he'd found her, sitting by herself on the Astronomy Tower, dry tears streaked across the page of her usually pristine looking books.

"What do you want?"

James blinked. He had spent so long trying to find her that he hadn't thought of what to say when he'd found her.

"You win."

"What?" She said and James cursed inwardly, regretting the last few hours of his life. Why, he thought to himself. Why did he always get himself into such as mess?

"Uh," he said stupidly, stumbling with his words. "Flynn backed out after that and everyone on our team got bored and sorta left. So you won?"

Moira stared at James for a second, before wrapping her arms around him, her head buried in his chest. Surprised, James was stiff for a moment, his back eventually relaxing, though his mind was still extremely aware of Moira's slender arms slung against his body.

"Sorry," she said, her voice muffled into his chest. "I don't usually do stuff like this, I, I mean I, um like, I do-"

"It's cool," James interrupted her, before grinning. "Always knew you'd come around eventually."

"What do you mean?"

"You like me," he teased. "You love me, you want to be with me, you want to kiss me, you want to-"

Moira whacked him on the shoulder and James howled, much to the laughter of Moira.

"The only person who wants to kiss you is you, Potter," she choked, in between bursts of hysterical laughter. Pouting, James went to tease her back, but decided against it. True, he hated missing an opportunity for their 'friendly' banter, but, looking at peaceful expression that had finally fell against her features, he knew it wasn't worth it.

"Whatever, Thomas," he said breezily instead, rolling his eyes fondly at her. Moira's head bobbed, gratitude streaked in her fierce expression.

"Thanks James," she said and James could tell she meant it. Smiling, James looked towards the sunset, admiring the blends of pinks, oranges and yellow until he spoke again.

"Next time there'll be no mercy when I win." Moira laughed at him, whacking his head.

"I won't even need it, Potter."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please leave a review if you have time! I realise this was a change of pace, but it will probably get darker from here (probably).**

**Knutforyourthoughts**


	4. Hide and Seek

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Fourth year began rather uninterestingly for both James and Moira. Things had begun to change and neither had talked for months, despite the fact that they had been best friends only months before. For the first time, James had begun to like being popular and Moira, well. She was as mysterious and different as ever. And people didn't like that.

"Ugh, that girl, whatshername, Moira, is like, so annoying," the popular girls all gossiped and the boys all agreed dutifully, earning a kiss or a hug for their loyalty. "She's just like such a know it all, you know?" The boys told them they knew. And eventually, James had found him nodding alongside the others, forgetting that they were ever best friends.

They were just too different, he'd convinced himself.

"Where's Moira?" Lily had even asked once, at the Burrow, frowning, her expression only lightening as she quietly cooing over Teddy and Victoire. They had recently gotten engaged and had been sickeningly adorable since, Teddy often kissing Victoire's cheek, Victoire fussing over Teddy's tie, both of them staring at each other mushily for almost every second of everyday.

"They'll grow out of that phase very quickly, just you wait," Hermione had mused wryly to Ginny, who smirked at the unknowing couple. Oh, they were so in for it.

"You know, I don't think you were ever in that phase," Ginny stated to Hermione who glared at her, though she was arguing with Ron over the cutlery for lunch.

"Goodness Ron, isn't it obvious? You use the silver!" She yelled, Ron glaring at her, gripping the cutlery in question tightly.

"I KNOW, I was just asking!"

"Oh, of course," Hermione said sarcastically, her nose turning upwards in disgust as she glared at her husband, her cheeks flushed angrily. Ginny sighed, shaking her head in both amusement and exasperation.

"I rest my case," she said as Ron and Hermione sent her identical glares.

Distracted by the drama, Lily had turned away and for a second and James thought he wouldn't have to answer the question.

"So, where is she?" She said eventually and he sighed. He had thought too soon.

"We're not really friends anymore, Lil," James explained, ruffling her hair as she stared at him in shock.

"What?!"

"Oh, look, there's treacle tart today!" James shouted desperately, running away as fast as he could. Lily watched in disapproval as he grabbed a tart and began flirting with one of Victoire's distantly related Veela friends, who technically didn't count as family.

"Oh, he's so in for it," Lily glared, preparing to grill her brother about it later.

As school began at Hogwarts, James and Fred sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, staring sullenly at the fire. Because of a rather disruptive prank they had played during the first week of school (James and Fred weren't allowed to talk about it, but it involved neon confetti, rabbits and chickens, toilet seats and a defaced portrait of the Slytherin Quidditch team), they were banned from Hogwarts for a whole two months.

"And if you sneak out, another two months," Professor McGonagall reminded them knowingly, seeing the cogs in their minds turn to plan a great escape. She had seen it all before, she reminded them firmly.

"Really, that woman is cruel," Fred had sighed sadly, watching the crowd of people walking away for the first visit to Hogsmeade for the year. "Wanna sneak out still?" Fred added, grinning as James nodded.

"You bet."

Using the hidden passage way James's uncle and Fred's father had told them of, they snuck through, only pausing as they reached the end of the tunnel, which would land them in Honeydukes.

"Going somewhere?" A voice came from through the tunnel and James froze, Fred bolting away like James should have. James cursed, knowing Fred was in clear and he, well, wasn't.

"No?" James guessed innocently and the person laughed. They moved closer and James finally realised who it was.

"Moira," he said in surprise.

"You've got me," she shrugged, waiting for the woman at the counter to go, before whispering 'go'.

"You look different," he said, staring at her as she grabbed his hand and ran out of the store, not bothering to reply. Once they were in the clear, she rolled her eyes at him, but James was sure it was true.

Gone was her frizzy hair, her dorky glasses and the book tucked under her arm. Instead, what replaced it was straight hair tucked in a bun and makeup (though James couldn't be sure about that; he only knew whatever Lily spouted when she had forced Albus into playing 'makeovers'). Instead of the crisply worn school uniform he remembered her wearing almost all of the time, she wore black, knee high heeled boots, black shorts and a loose, breezy white blouse.

"Please don't give me the 'wow you finally look pretty' talk," Moira scowled, noticing the look on his face. "Because I will have you know that I have a wand in my bag to attack you with."

James laughed. "Okay, fine," he said, raising his hands in the air. "You're not that different."

"Thank you," Moira said briskly and James could tell her guard was up. "Because I really haven't changed," she added after a moment, a wary look in her eyes as she looked at James. There was a pause of awkward silence, before she spoke again.

"You never called," Moira blurted out, her eyes trained to the ground. "Not once, in the whole of the holidays."

James ruffled his hair, thinking of what to say. When nothing came out, he just shrugged.

"We're too different, I guess," he said and she shook her head.

"That is a pathetic excuse, you wanker," Moira said furiously, her shoulders tensed up before they stooped, the blinding hot anger leaving her until she was just sad.

"Shit." Thankfully (or not), James didn't have to respond as he saw Professor Longbottom, or Neville as James knew him as, walk past. He knew that he would get in trouble if Neville saw him, regardless of the fact they were family friends. And then McGonagall would probably extend his punishment, if not Fred's as well on the assumption he left the castle too.

"What?" Moira said, on guard immediately.

"Tell you what, Thomas," James said hurriedly. "One last game, for old time's sake."

"What, you can't be friends with a girl anymore, just so you can be all macho and get all the girls and-" James covered her mouth and she struggled against him, stomping on his foot.

"Okay, hide and seek it is," James hissed and she just smirked at him.

"Really?" Moira said. "That's what we're going with?"

"I rule at hide and seek," James said confidently, though hiding the real reason for the game.

"Really?" She said, crossing her arms over her chest and James couldn't help but be drawn to… to her eyes of course, which were as determined as usual, though a little confused. "Because I'll bet that I'm better."

"Really?" James said, distracted by Neville, who finally moved away. "Then you won't mind if I hide then."

Moira raised an eyebrow. "Professor Longbottom went left, if that's who you're really hiding from." James looked at her sheepishly and she smiled, her lips parting to reveal a dazzlingly white smile.

"How'd you know?" James asked and she laughed, though a little on edge still.

"How wouldn't I know?" She said, dragging James across to the other side of the path, ducking behind a row of bushes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" James whispered and she raised her eyebrow again.

"You have a certain penchant for trouble, Potter," Moira whispered into his ear and James shivered, convinced it was just the rush of wind.

"Ah, I can't help that the ladies love it so much," he grinned sleazily and she rolled her eyes. "Now count." Smirking, Moira began to count out loud and James ran. This was good, he thought with surprise as he ran through corridors and around corners to find a good hiding spot. Being around Moira was good.

"Found you." It took her an approximate of two minutes to find him and James prided himself of being a rather good hider. Which meant she was good at yet another game.

"You're kidding," he groaned and she laughed.

"Nope," she declared. "I bet you ten galleons you won't be able to find me in ten minutes."

Against his better judgement, James shook on it. "You're on, Thomas," he grinned, turning his back to count as she ran, her heels clacking against the pavement. Moira in heels, he mused. That was new.

Twenty minutes later and the end of the Hogsmeade visit, James had yet to find her.

"Where the hell are you," he wondered aloud, not noticing Moira standing against the wall behind him, her body backed up against it comfortably as she waited.

"You do realise that I'm right behind you," she teased as James turned around, groaning again.

"You're kidding," he said and she smirked.

"You can pay me when we get back."

"How are you so good?"

"Some people are just good at hiding even when they don't want to. You're not one of them," Moira said vaguely, her eyes distant as James tugged her arm, missing the hint.

"We've got to go," he said hurriedly, only pausing to smile at a girl who saw him, her mouth open.

"You're not suppos-"

"Please don't say anything," he asked her, winking and she swooned.

"Of course not, James," she promised him breathing heavily, to the relief of James and the exasperation of Moira.

"God, you're bad," she said disapprovingly as they slipped back through the tunnel.

"Hey, I got us out of there," James replied defensively and Moira said nothing, silent until they reached the castle again.

"Uh, M," James said awkwardly as she began to walk away, her hips swaying mesmerizingly as her heels clicked and for a second, James wasn't sure he would be able to say what he wanted to say.

"Yeah?" She said, turning back around and James felt bad instantly.

"You, ah, know this doesn't change anything, right?" Moira stiffened, her eyes growing cold.

"I know, Potter," she assured, tilting her head to aside. "And I couldn't care less."

"Ah, good," James said awkwardly, Fred and his other friends appearing around the corner.

"James!" Fred said and James knew it was his cue to leave.

"Uh, I've got to go," he said uncertainly, but Moira had already walked away from him, a single tear falling down her cheek (though James would never know).

"Mate, Moira Thomas got hot over the holidays," one of the guys hollered to him and James grimaced. "I'd totally bang her," the guy added and James frowned.

"She hasn't changed like that," he said defensively, before realising it wasn't his job anymore. Whatever he did for her, Moira wouldn't appreciate it. "But yeah, whatever."

And so James let himself be guided away from his mob of so called friends, but his mind still lingered on Moira and her soft lips whispering into his ear, playing the moment on repeat until a prettier girl could distract him her.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review if you're able. Sorry that this wasn't my best chapter :(**

**Knutforyourthoughts**


	5. Pool

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the content from the Harry Potter Universe.**

* * *

James sat in one of the many cramped rooms of Shell Cottage, contemplating just how he gotten shoved in a room with all of his male cousins. The pre wedding shenanigans meant that he had to endure the intellectual babbling of Hugo while Fred repeatedly sang every single word to 'Smells like Teen's Spirit' by a muggle band James did not care to know the name of at full blast, all the time. Meanwhile Louis would sprawl across _James's _bunk; half way torn between nerves regarding his duties as a groomsman and smugly styling his mop of blond hair as Albus screamed over the top of Fred in an attempt to converse with Scorpius with a two-way mirror. In short, it was driving James insane. The only male exempt from this torture was Teddy, who was staying with his grandparents until the wedding affairs were over. The party tonight was a pre wedding celebration, with only the family and some friends invited, though James swore Victoire and Teddy had invited at least one hundred people.

"I'm telling you Jamey, I've never seen that boy so nervous," Ron had laughed earlier in the night, slightly buzzed on the firewhiskey in his inconspicuous looking flask. James had smirked. Considering the state that Aunt Hermione got into over weddings, James was not surprised his uncle had come prepared.

"Honestly Ron, did you really think that tie was going to match my dress? Now we're all going to have to change!"

"Anyway," Ron continued, burping a little. "His hair was changing not stop! I counted fifty colours in a minute, although there were at least six shades of purple."

James had shaken his head at poor Teddy's plight, before excusing himself to mingle with people both younger and more sober. Elven wine was poured into everyone's chalice that night but James didn't dare touch them. He knew his mother would find out somehow; Ginny had a knack for knowing when one of her children was getting up to no good.

"James!" Lily ran past several guests before halting in front of her brother, beaming slightly. It was her first year at Hogwarts and she had already grown three inches taller, much to James's chagrin.

"Hey there Lil," he grinned, ruffling her striking auburn hair that Aunt Fleur had braided intricately. She stomped on his foot. James yelped. Mood swings were also a new development James had discovered Lily was capable of and Merlin, did he hate them. Still pouting, she spoke so quickly that James missed the words she was saying.

"Wait, what?"

"She's saying that a certain lady loover of yours happens to be her tonight," Fred said loudly, appearing behind James's shoulders. "Ain't that right, Lilster?"

Lily grinned slyly, before disappearing into the crowd of well-dressed guests, later seen innocently carrying a dish of sugar pastries around.

"Fred!" James glared at his best friend, who had not been as cautious and had drunk four generous glasses of wine. Somewhere in between those drinks he had also lost one of his cufflinks and flipped up the collar of his dress shirt. His parents, particularly Angelina, would not be pleased when the festivities were over.

"What?" Fred said, stretching out the word as he stumbled around. "You love her, you want to kiss her, you want to make lov-"

"Fred!"

Fred sobered slightly before grinning. "I get it. It was just one time, rightttt?"

James cursed, dragging Fred away from the ears of nosy guests, Hogwarts alumni who, in the right mood might tell their equally nosy siblings.

"Would you stop spouting nonsense?" James snapped, shaking Fred slightly. "It was only _once_ and nothing else ever happened!"

"What's this?" James looked up to see Dominique, who had changed significantly since her days at Hogwarts. Although she and James still kept in touch, Dominique was constantly away from home ever since she had confessed to having loved Teddy for years. James still remembered the vicious fight Victoire and Dominique had gotten into, until Dominique grew weary of it and left. She discovered travel and things changed. The last letter she had written him was from Indonesia, where she had apparently found peace in a Buddhist monastery. James found it hard to believe, but he was happy for this newly tan, short haired, loose dress wearing and incredibly freckled version of Dominique Weasley.

"Long story Dom- yay for Vic and Teddy. Bye now!" James said hurriedly, starting for the nearest exit until Dominique yanked the back of his shirt.

"Hold up Jamesy. I have tried to keep all of my chakras balanced during Victoire's bridezilla moments and wedding guest drama but the fact that you are now withholding gossip from me is a testament to their clear misalignment." Dominique grinned at James as wickedly as a yogi could while he struggled in her grasp.

"The stars and the eclipsing moon will show that you are destined to be togetherrrr," Fred sang, earning a side eye from Dominique, who promptly yanked his cup away.

"Okay, a) who let him drink and b), I'm pretty sure I wrote something like in my Divination papers." James laughed until Dom lead them into one of the unoccupied rooms, slamming the door shut in a very un-Zen manner. "Spill," she said solemnly.

"Yeah!" Fred shouted, somewhat unnecessarily as James had begun his tale.

"_Chug, chug, chug!" The other Gryffindors repeated the chant over and over again as James stood upside down on a table, chugging a line of firewhiskey shots. _

"_Yeah!" He'd shouted in victory, feeling a rush of excitement run through his veins as he leapt off the table into the adoring crowd. They had just won a crucial Quidditch match against Slytherin and there was no one more proud about it than James. _

"_Well done mate!" Fred had laughed, clapping him on the back while Flynn handed him another drink. With Moira out of the picture, they had become close- unsurprising to their fathers who still owled each other about Quidditch to date. James returned the gesture before wading through the crowd to the poker table he and Fred had smuggled in (with the help of Uncle George of course). James felt the electricity of all the sweaty bodies and the heat that had somehow been generated between all the dancing and cheering. It was so prominent that when the air changed, his breath hitched briefly. Or maybe it was just the sight of her. It was Moira Thomas, sitting on the pool table with her arms snaked around a sixth year Hufflepuff that had somehow found his way into the party. James's crossed his arms. He watched her laugh and kiss him so passionately that James was compelled to look away._

"_Godric, they're inseparable!" James had complained to Flynn later. "I feel sorry for anyone who wanted to play pool tonight, Moira and that slimeball of a Hufflepuff aren't moving anytime soon."_

_Flynn had stared him, before laughing. "Mate," he choked as James glared at him in confusion. "You're jealous."_

"_No I'm not!"_

"_Ah, yes you are!" Fred piped over James's shoulder, which had started do over the course of the year. James whacked him over the head._

"_Ow, okay I do not deserve that!" Fred huffed, puffing his chest out indignantly. James gave Fred a pointed look before turning to deal with Flynn._

"_Why would I be jealous? I don't even talk to Moira anymore."_

_Flynn raised an eyebrow. "You don't need to talk to someone to know you want to get into their pants."_

"_Flynn!"_

_Flynn raised his hands in the air and shrugged. "All I'm saying is that you go a year without talking to the girl and now you like her. Why you do you think that's weird? Merlin, she and I are on the same bench for Potions and she's not bad. Think I even made her laugh once."_

_James nodded, astounded by the fact that Flynn was giving him solid advice when he knew for a fact the Irish boy was half drunk. _

"_Bottom line: people change, we're at a party and we don't want to hear you babble on about a bird you clearly have the hots for."_

_James frowned. Okay, maybe Flynn wasn't all that philosophical. But he did have a point- they were at a party and for Godric's sake, he was going to go after Moira Thomas!_

"You know, it's probably unwise to make decisions when you're intoxicated," Dominique interrupted, a knowing smile on her face. James groaned, wincing at the part of the story to come.

"Trust me, I know."

_When the crowd had begun to disperse back into their dormitories and some even to their houses, James strode over to the pool table. The Hufflepuff was nowhere to be seen but Moira was still sitting on the table, a red cup fitting loosely between her slender fingers. It was only then he fully noticed her appearance. She wore baggy ripped jeans that hung loose against the curve of her hips and a fitted black crop top, both of which highlighted the tautness of her stomach. As James's eyes flickered towards her face he saw that Moira was giving him the same appraisal. Head tilted thoughtfully. Eyes staring without shame._

"_Hey," James said pathetically and mentally whacked himself for it. "How are y-"_

"_I'm fine," Moira interrupted coolly, crossing her arms around her waist. "Now what do you want?"_

"_Huh?"_

_She hopped off the table and walked towards him. "Look, I know you think that because we used to be friends that I'll somehow fall in love with you but the truth is, I won't. Everyone thinks a girl changes because she likes a guy but I most certainly did not grow up with the intent to impress you."_

"_Wha-"_

_Moira sighed impatiently. "Just go, Potter."_

"_Play pool with me."_

_Moira blinked. "What?" _

"_I said play pool with me," James repeated, regaining the confidence that had seemingly been crushed into a million pieces._

_Moira's mouth turned in a half smile as if she was surprised, slowly moving towards the farther side of the table. Then she picked up a cue stick and grinned. "Alright then. You and me, one last game."_

"_One last game," James nodded, a similar grin appearing on his own face. "For the record, I'm so going to win."_

_Moira laughed, her nose wrinkling as she squared her shoulders. "Please, you've never won."_

"Did anything happen between you two?" Dominique was now sitting cross legged on some guest's bed, entranced by the story. Meanwhile, Fred had fallen asleep on the floor but James figured he deserved the discomfort waiting for him upon awakening.

"That's the point- no!"

"Nothing?" Dominique asked critically, shifting on the bed as Fred continued to snore from the floor.

"Well…"

_James knew well before Moira had pocketed the eight ball that he had lost. For the first time ever, he wasn't trying to win against her. Instead he watched her play, noticing the tense lines around her mouth when she made a move and later, the furrow in her dark brows regardless of whether it was a good move. Most of all, he loved to make her laugh with a bad move. It caught Moira off guard every time, her eyes widening comically to make way for startled laughter. _

"_You're trying to lose, aren't you?" She huffed smilingly, raising an eyebrow at James. "You've lost your touch, Potter."_

_James laughed, watching her lean over the table and knock the eight ball away to victory. "Maybe I have." Dropping his cue stick on the table, he walked over to where Moira stood. She stepped forward. He could smell her perfume now - rosy but still fresh. He breathed in sharply, aware of the little distance between their bodies. Without hesitation, he leant in and the bitter taste of firewhisky erupted in his mouth as they kissed. Her hands snaked around his shoulders just like she had with that Hufflepuff and James wrapped his around his waist. In reality, it was no different to a regular kiss but James couldn't describe the way she made him feel. The closest word to it was intense. _

"_You look nice," James blurted out when they pulled away, acutely aware of the heated red rising on his cheek and up his neck. He brushed his dark brown hair back in embarrassment. "I mean-"_

"_James," Moira said gently and James could hear the pity dripping from voice. "This doesn't change anything."_

_James blinked. This doesn't change anything. The same words he had uttered himself last year. So why did they seem so unfair now?_

"_I'm not a game you can play, least of all a game you can win," Moira said, more firmly this time as she turned to leave._

"_Okay," he managed, watching her leave the room, a glint of something else in her expression. He sighed, dizzy with confusion until he headed back to his own dorm._

"And that's it," James concluded as Dominique shook her head. "Oh, what now?"

"Jamey, Jamey, Jamey," Dominique said with a playful smile. "You like her."

"What? No, that's impossible, we just hooked up, that's it, honestly why-"

"Cut the crap," Dominique interrupted flatly. "Face it: you like Moira Thomas!"

"What have I been trying to tell you guys this whole time?" Dominique and James turned to see Fred sit up off the ground, groaning about his back. "Thanks for lifting me up onto the bed by the way."

James rolled his eyes, but his mind started turning. He liked Moira and she was here tonight. It was simple in theory but realistically, she didn't like him back. Still, neither did Lily Evans until the original James Potter convinced her otherwise. If he didn't live up to his namesake, what kind of person would he be?

"Alright fine," James conceded with a smirk. "Let's make the best plan we've ever carried out: Mission-Make-Moira-like-me."

"Mmm, I like Mission: JM better," Fred said, standing up enthusiastically to high five his cousins.

"My work here is done," Dominique proclaimed with satisfaction as she ran out to meet Victoire, who was yelling across the house for urgent assistance regarding floral arrangements.

* * *

**It's been a very long time since I've written anything on fanfiction, but I hope you enjoyed! Even though I no longer write a lot of fanfiction, I thought that it would be nice to finish this series. Feel free to review, I love reading them :)**

**Knutforyourthoughts**


End file.
